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Cotton cultivation is an important component of Maharashtra’s agricultural economy, but changes in cultivated area, output and yield may follow different long-term patterns. This study assessed growth, instability and monotonic temporal trends in cotton area, production and productivity in Maharashtra from 2004–05 to 2024–25. Secondary annual data from published government and cotton-sector statistical sources were analysed. Compound annual growth rates were estimated using an exponential growth model, and the Cuddy–Della Valle instability index was used to assess year-to-year variation after accounting for trends. The Mann–Kendall test was employed to examine the direction and statistical significance of monotonic trends, while Sen’s slope estimator was used to estimate their magnitudes. The compound annual growth rates for area, production and productivity were 2.03%, 3.64% and 1.56%, respectively. Instability was low for area (7.91%) and moderate for production (21.10%) and productivity (20.54%). Mann–Kendall tau values were 0.67, 0.42 and 0.26 for area, production and productivity, respectively. The upward trends in area and production were statistically significant, whereas that in productivity was not significant at the 5% level. Sen’s slope estimates were positive for all three measures. Cotton output growth during the study period coincided with increases in both area and productivity. However, greater variability in production and yield than in area indicates the importance of improving the consistency of productivity gains.